Care home providers at the centre of abuse scandal close a second property

Castlebeck, the company that owned Winterbourne View care home in Bristol whose staff were filmed by undercover journalists abusing residents, is to close a second residence A second care home owned by the company at the centre of allegations of abuse of vulnerable patients is to close, it was announced on Wednesday. Castlebeck, which owned the Winterbourne View care home in Bristol where abuse was filmed by an undercover BBC journalist for Panorama, has said it will close Rose Villa, also in Bristol. Four members of Rose Villa’s staff were suspended last month following an inspection by regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) while allegations of misconduct were investigated. But Castlebeck today said it was closing the rehabilitation centre for adults with learning disabilities, which has five patients and 30 staff, for “operational reasons”. Winterbourne View, which saw 13 staff members suspended over allegations of abuse, closed in June. Castlebeck’s chief executive, Lee Reed, the company was closing the site “with regret”. “The service is being closed purely for operational reasons,” he said. “Whilst we recognise the concerns raised in the recent CQC inspection report, our decision has resulted from the fact that in reviewing operational practicalities, Rose Villa would be left on its own in the South West – some distance from the support that could be provided by our services in the West Midlands. “The decision is purely voluntary and not at the instigation of CQC. “We very much appreciate the support given to Rose Villa by commissioners since the service opened. However, we also understand the scrutiny they are under in terms of continuing to commission from a service where CQC have identified concerns, albeit that these could, in our opinion, be relatively easily addressed.” The CQC carried out an inspection of Rose Villa on 1 July, and two members of staff were suspended after concerns were raised about safeguarding. According to the BBC, another member of staff was suspended in June after a whistleblower went public, and the fourth worker is accused of mishandling a patient. The CQC, in a report released at the end of July, said Castlebeck must make “root and branch improvements” to its homes. In addition to Rose Villa, the CQC said it had serious concerns about three other Castlebeck services, while another seven did not fully comply with essential standards of quality and safety. Castlebeck has 23 sites – 11 independent mental health hospitals and 12 adult social care centres. The four which the CQC said raised serious concerns are: Arden Vale in Solihull, Cedar Vale in Nottingham, Croxton Lodge in Melton Mowbray, and Rose Villa. The seven non-compliant sites are: Acrefield House in Wirral, Briar Court Nursing Home in Hartlepool, Chesterholme in Hexham, The East Midlands Centre for Neurobehavioural Rehabilitation in Melton Mowbray, Hollyhurst in Darlington, Oaklands in Hexham and Willow House in Edgbaston. Staff at Rose Villa, which opened in the Brislington area of the city in December 2009, were told of the decision to close it this morning, the company said. It said it was looking to transfer patients to other facilities with minimal disruption. All staff, it said, “will be able to apply for alternative employment within Castlebeck as appropriate”. Winterbourne View, in the Bristol suburb of Hambrook, was closed in June after horrifying allegations of abuse were made. The Panorama footage appeared to show vulnerable residents with learning disabilities being pinned down, slapped, doused in cold water and repeatedly taunted and teased. Learning disability Disability Social care Long-term care Bristol Healthcare industry guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 10, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.